The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-06-09

! or barn undercured. wheat intended
for market or milling should also be cut
before fully ripe, butnearer full ripeness
than oats. The husk or bran will then
be thinner and the yield of flour will be
better than if the grain be permitted to
fully harden. But all grain intended
for seed should be fully ripe, especially
oats. 1t is an excellent plan to 60 over
the fields and select the choicest heads
| Gin advance of the harvesting), stripnino
| by hand and keeping the grain separatc
in this way the quality of the seed in
any desired respect may bo kept I'D to
the original standard Of excellence, and
even much improved. 1t is probable
that the popular rust proof oats and
other varieties Of grain were discovered
and perpetuated in this way.
SWEET POTATOES.
This is the favored time for enlarpine
the area in sweet pototoes. The vines
planted now will do as well, if not bet
ter, than the slips from tho old bed.
But whether cut vines or slips be used.
paintings in June or July will make
cheaper and better keeping tubers than
paintings mado during the months of
April and May, because they grow off at
once and require much less cultivation.
We used to take pride in setting the
earliest slips and the largest area early
In the season, until we discovered that
some OF our neighbors who were not SO
smart made more and better potatoes by
planting later.
We consider the sweet potato crop as
possessing great undevelopod possibili-
ties. 1t is about the cheapest hog food
that can be produced in our climate and
certail lly one of the most healthful as
well as convenient. An important secret
Ill sweet potato planting is to have the
ground well prepared beforehand and
freshly plowed just before setting out
the slips or vines. If not convenient to
reverse tho beds after rain and Just be-
fore planting, the patch should be
plowcd, or at least hoed, just as soon as
practicable. Plants set in q sodden,
compact soil do not flourish and grow
OIL as well as If set in q mellow, freshly
plOwed SOIL
In planting vines we have found it to
pay to prepare the cuttings with some
degree OF care, dividing them into pieces
containing from threc to five leaves (ac-
cordlng to distance between leaves) and
inserting two to threo joints only in the
ground. There will be fewer potatoes
IN hill, but they will be larger and
smoother than when much moro of the
vine is inserted in the ground.
FIELD PEAS.
This is the best time for planting field
peas, whether for seed or improving the
land. No corn field should be wifhout
a row OF peas between the rows of corn.
or broadcasted over tho field. The cron
costs little more than tho seed and
is probably the best paying crop planted
in the South in proportion to The in.
Vestment III seed and labor If some
bunch variety is already growing in rows
1T Is not bad idea to SOW again lust
ahead OF the last plowing. For this pur-
pose the Conch pea OF somo other run
nlng kind is best. 1t is often recon-
mended to SOW peas after wheat and
oats. 1t is good farming to do so when
practicable. But it SO often occurs that
the ground is too dry and hard to per
NIT OF plowing and getting the peas ND
that the plan cannot be relied on as q
part OF regular system. Sometimes il
can be done, often it cannot. If the
ground can be plowed the best way we
have found to do it is to list two burrows
together tapping the slices turned and
leaving narrow ridge to be opened out
with q shovel, followed by q pea-dropper,
and the peas covered. Three furr0ws
alter the peas are well up, will usually
suffice for the cultivation.
FORAGE CROPS.
Forage crops, like cat-tail millet, milo
maze, ka11lr corn and sorghum, may
still be planted, but the land should be
Proportlto2nately better as the planting is
later. We have had no personal expcri-
ence with milo maize, but doubt if it is
any better for green -soiling than the old
standby cat-tail millet. For curing into
hay for use by and by, the German mil
let and common corn answer better
albeit the latter is very difficult to cure
perfectly.
The German milIet should be sown
broadcast in Well-broken land, and the
rate of One-half to one bushel Of seed
per acre and narrowed in. Sow the corn
in drills three TO four feet apart ut the
rate Of three bushels of seed Dor acre,
Ihe ordinary pop corn is said to be ex-
cellent for this purpose.
TURNIPs.
Land intended to be sown in turnins
especially if rutabagas arc to be grown
should receive attention by repeated
deep pioWings until tho time for seeding
arrives. We are not strong in our adj,
Vocacy Of tumips as stock crop in the
cotton belt. Our fall climate is general
ly too dry for turnips, and unless every
other condition of success is faithfully
complied With, the failures will be Often
er than the hits; yet this vegetable is SO
desirable for tho table, rs we'll as for
stock, that q moderate area should be
sown. If they fail, it is easy to devote
the land to some fall crop, as rye, barley
or wheat.
HOGS.
We have long beloved that the predis-
posing causes of hog cholera are INSULT
clent or unnatural food and want of
plenty Of pure water, The disease is
we'll known to be infectious, but it is
known that oven infectious diseases
more readily attack where there are pre-
disposing causes. The hog, in q state
Of nature, horbiYorous, subsisting Oh
roots, grass and nuts, and ranging tho
woods and swamps unrestrained. The
nearer we can keep to nature in the
mnnOpGpnnDE pf gtorly